San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1887-03-05
COOPERATIVE ENTERPRISE.

lie the real solution TO all the vexed Ia
Dor problems OF this present. The sue
cess that has attended every effort OF
capital to ally with itself the forces or
labor, by giving that labor share In the
profits Of the industry thus mutually
carried on, has served to direct atten-
ton more specifically to this subject.
Manufacturers are finding 1t to their In
terest to make their wOrkingmen par
tioipators In their profits, for more rea-
sons than one. 1t increases the personal
care and concern Of the workingmen,
makes their employers interests more
decidedly their own and reduces to
minimum all dangers Of disagreement
and all possibility Of strikes, boycotts,
lock-outs and the score OF Ills that at
tend all strained relations between Ia
Dor and capital. AT the same time Ii In
creases the self-respect OF the laborer
and gives him higher value, In the
eyes Of his employer and In bis own eyes
as well, than when merely plodding on
as a wsge-worker.
Senator Sandford's bill Ito encourage
cooperation and to provide for the for
nation Of associations for the purpose OF
conducting any lawful business and d.
vidng the profits among the members
thereof is public recognition, In high
places, of the necessity Of facilitating by
every possible means, this work OF In
dustrial cooperation. The idea OF CO.
operation is recognized In all associs-
tions, religious hnd political, and the
more perfectly the idea is given express
sion to the more satisfactorily does the
work OF the state and Of the church
move along. 1t is only when the usur-
patIons of individuals stand In the way
of and thwart cooperative action that
political distrust and corruptions follow.
The masses left to their own free choice
and free to follow the dictates Of what
reason they possess, find no difficulty In
coming TO agreements. The same Is
true 10 the religious world. and did the
love which esteemeth other self as good
as own-self prevail, there would be no
church quarrels to record. Co-opera-
ton in industrial enterprise follows me
same law. 1t can only be successfully
carried out where mutual confidence ex-
lists, and where there is an intelligent
appreciation Of the greater benefits to be
secured through mutual effort. Co
operative associations, in which the
whole work and service and direction Is
by laborers themselves, are in success
ful operation wherever snch enterpris-
es have been founded In intelligence and
managed in good faith. England has
several OF them and America is follow
ing in her footsteps.
There is no reason why America
should not have these cooperative as
sociations wherever manufacturing
plant is established. Her workmen Sc
lect the agents which carry on the ma
ohinery OF government successfully and
there is no reason why they should not
choose agents:to carry on their own in
dustrial enterprises and reap the profits
themselves. There are large printing
houses, wooden mills, coal mines, fur
niture factories in which the laborers are
paid q per cent OF the profits, and this
condition ia found vastly superior to the
Old wage condition without a share in
the profits. There is no valid reason
why 81 per cent OF the profit should be
divided among the Two or three who put
money into the concern, and only 20 per
cent among those who put labor into it.
Let the wOrkingmen of America be as
sober and as economical as they are in
dustrious and skillful, and in a few years
the employees of any manufacturing con-
Germ will have money enough to buy the
plant and run it or start rival one.
Properly conducted cooperative insti-
tutions can live where Others fail. Sena-
tor Sandford's bill aims to put these as
sooiatiOns on the best possible footing
before the law, aud make the most lib
eral construction of the powers and
grants thus conferred and under which
these associations could organize. This
bill 10 needed one. 1t aims at q great
good. 1t aims to give to each man and
to each woman the best possible results
of their labor, or at least to make such
law conditions as under them the work.
ingmen and the working women of this
country can secure the best possible re-
suits. In some such direction as this
lies the hope OF Americas torting mil.
lions, for emancipation from the slavery
of unjust and disabling labor conditions.
The statement that Montana stock men
deny the reported heavy losses Of stock
in that Territory this winter is not
strictly true. They deny the almost to-
tai destruction, but admit loss of about
% per cent. In most busihess q loss of
one-fourth the capital would be consid-
cred serious one. 1t was also noted
that there we're no buyers for young cat
tie al Denver this spring. and there will
be no market for Texas young cattle up
there, owing no doubt to the heavy los
ses in the north west preventing the cat
tlemen OF that region from entering the
market as purchasers. This complexities
the stock question in Texas and shuts up
our cattle raisers to the alternative OF
finding a dressed market at their own
doors or sending their beef to the ruin
GUS competitions and exaotions OF the